


Medinilla

by bobbysghost



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age of Ultron, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2019-09-06 13:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16833451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobbysghost/pseuds/bobbysghost
Summary: Grey Caron is now part of the Avengers, living happily with her boyfriend Tony Stark. She must deal with his life threatening mistake, the creation of Ultron, with the rest of the team. Will they succeed in saving the Earth once again?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I hope you all enjoy part two of Grey's life with the Avengers! xx

Grey had always loved snow. From when she was a little girl living in Bordeaux, France, winter had been her favourite season. Moving to London had been even better – the snow was thicker and impossibly whiter. Grey always lived her best life when it was snowy.

That’s why she was electrocuting H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers with reckless abandon, clinging onto the back of the truck Natasha was driving through the Sokovian snow.

The electricity flickering around her was melting all the ice on the ground, making it easier for the truck to get through the flakes. Of course, her enemies couldn’t see her. Grey was completely invisible.

The rest of the Avengers could hear her laughter through their earpieces; it was something they’d become accustomed to since Grey had joined the team. Grey shot at a couple of Hydra agents in the way of the vehicle. Clint pouted from his position on top of it.

“I called dibs on them!”

Thor flew through the sky, the clanging of Mjolnir against the enemy sounding through the area. Steve drove past on his motorbike, sending a salute in the direction of the truck. Grey grinned, even though he couldn’t see her.

The Hulk leapt over them as Grey kept shooting, smashing the heads of two soldiers together. He let out a roar, and despite having heard it many times before, it still put the fear of God into Grey’s heart.

Finally, Iron Man soared above them, shooting beams at the troops around the team. He shot down one which was a little too close to the back of Natasha’s ride for his liking, knowing what was hanging off the back of it.

Grey and Tony’s relationship had been nothing but bliss in the time it had been since the Battle of New York. Grey had moved into the Avenger’s tower with Tony, and things were perfect.

Well, as perfect as they could be shooting down thugs in the middle of an H.Y.D.R.A. facility.

Natasha swerved the truck as it drove towards a barrack, and the three heroes were flung out of it. Grey landed on top of a soldier, frying him with her hands. She used her throwing knives to eliminate the few other soldiers around her.

She watched as Tony flew towards the base, and winced as he bounced off the force field, suppressing a giggle.

“Shit!” Tony exclaimed, his voice appearing in the ear pieces of each of the team.

“Language!” Steve scolded, disapproval evident in his tone.

Grey let out a snort, smirking slightly. “We don’t use naughty words on this team. JARVIS, what’s the view from upstairs?”

“The central building is protected by some kind of energy field. Strucker’s technology is well beyond any other H.Y.D.R.A. base we’ve taken.” The AI’s voice filled Grey’s ear as she assisted Nat with a tricky soldier.

“Loki’s sceptre must be here. Strucker couldn’t mount this defence without it.” Thor smiled in relief. “At long last.”

Natasha finally knocked out the soldier her and Grey were working on. “’At long last’ is lasting a little long, boys.”

Grey ducked as Clint shot an arrow over her head. “Yeah, I think we’ve lost the element of surprise.” He quipped, smirking slightly.

“Wait a second.” Tony piped up, “no one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said ‘language’?”

“I know.” Steve breathed as he skidded up to where Grey, Natasha and Clint were fighting, and flung his bike into oncoming soldiers in one of their trucks. “It just slipped.”

They continued to fight; Grey revealed herself in the middle of punching the enemy in the throat, the shock on his face making her grin. She continued to shoot each soldier that came up to her, until she hurt a grunt from the right. When she looked, Clint was lead on the floor.

“Clint?”

Grey saw a younger man stood by him, a smirk on his face. He had ashy grey hair and a handsome face, which had a smirk plastered to it. “You didn’t see that coming?”

Suddenly, the stranger disappeared again. Grey frowned. Did he turn invisible? Was he like her?

Clint turned with his arrow raised, but fell back as a bullet hit his abdomen. Grey immediately shot down the soldier, then quickly ran over to her friend.

“Oh shit.”

Natasha looked over, then her eyes turned wide as she landed on her knees next to him. “Clint!”

“We have an enhanced in the field.” Steve’s voice panted. He must’ve encountered the strange boy as well.

“No shit, Cap. Clint’s hit.”

Natasha pressed her hand against the wound on Clint’s torso. He winced, a groan escaping his mouth. Grey ducked as another bullet shot at them.

“Somebody want to deal with that bunker?” Natasha asked, and the Hulk charged at it with a bellow, ripping it apart and crushing the agents inside. “Thank you.”

Grey returned to the fight as Natasha stayed with Clint. She hurried to Steve’s side, assisting him with the many soldiers that surrounded him. He shot her a grateful smile as they fought back to back, the piles of bodies growing.

“Tony,” Grey said breathlessly as she dodged the fist of an enemy. “We really need to get inside.”

“I’m closing in, baby. JARVIS, am I... closing in?” Tony paused. “Do you see a power source for that shield?”

Grey tuned out as Thor arrived next to them, sending a shockwave towards her. Grey felt her tiredness vanish, and she pocketed her gun in favour of using her electrical powers to electrocute the rest of the soldiers. An explosion from the base caused her to look up, and she spied Tony flying into it as the shield broke.

“Drawbridge is down, people.” He said afterwards.

Thor breathed heavily, turning to Steve and Grey. “The enhanced?”

“He’s a blur.” Steve explained. “All the new player’s we’ve faced, I’ve never seen this. In fact, I still haven’t.”

“I’ve seen him.” Grey paused to punch a soldier who inched up behind her. “He’s just a kid.”

Steve raised an eyebrow and smirked. “So are you.”

Grey scoffed and said teasingly, “fuck off.”

“Clint’s hit pretty bad, guys. We’re gonna need EVAC.” Natasha ordered through the earpiece. She sounded a little worried; she’d been extra protective of her friend since he’d been brainwashed in New York.

Thor frowned. “I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we’re gone the better. You secure the sceptre.”

“Copy that.”

Grey perked up when she heard the rumble of a tank. Turning, she saw another group of soldiers in an H.Y.D.R.A. vehicle. Thor stood up straight, his grip on Mjolnir tight. “Looks like they’re lining up.”

“Well,” Steve shrugged. “They’re excited.”

Thor lifted Mjolnir and slammed it down on Steve’s shield, the resounding force knocking down each soldier and crushing the truck.

“I love it when you guys do that.” Grey called out.

The God cracked a smile, before nodding to Steve. “Find the sceptre.” He ordered, before he flew off.

Grey grinned. “And for gosh sake, watch your language!”

Steve groaned and hung his head. “That’s not going away anytime soon.”

Grey walked over to him and patted his arm affectionately. “Nope.”

The two headed towards the H.Y.D.R.A. base. There was a sparseness of soldiers around, a sure sign the Hulk had already rampaged through. Grey walked with her gun drawn, a sense of dread surrounding her as they walked in through a door. She vanished as her stomach twisted. They crept along the corridors, eventually coming to a dank stairwell. A man stumbled up the stairs, pausing when he saw Steve and Grey.

“Baron Strucker.” Steve breathed softly. “H.Y.D.R.A.’s number one thug.”

The two circled each other. Strucker hadn’t noticed Grey yet.

“Technically, I’m a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D.” Strucker quipped. He didn’t seem scared – Grey rolled her eyes. She dealt with egotistical men enough at home.

“Well then technically you’re unemployed.” Steve smiled. “Where’s Loki’s sceptre?”

Strucker raised his hands with a light grin. “Don’t worry, I know when I’m beat. You’ll mention how I cooperated, I hope.”

“I’ll put it right under illegal human experimentation.”

Neither Steve nor Grey noticed the young girl quietly moving towards them until it was too late. She flashed her hands around Steve’s head, a red mist emerging from them. Steve clutched at his head, knocked down onto the ground.

The strange girl turned as Grey appeared, and she looked surprised. She quickly reached out to do the same to Grey, but her wrist was gripped by Grey’s hand, and she sent an electric shock down it. The mutant retracted her wrist with a yelp, and scrambled away before Grey could pin her down.

Strucker was gaping at Grey, and Steve slowly got back up, wincing. “We have a second enhanced,” he said into the earpiece. “Female. Do not engage.”

“You’ll have to be faster than-“

Grey punched him in the face, knocking him out. Steve looked down at him, then back at Grey.

“It’s like that Agent you knocked out, in the Helicarrier, when we were hiding...” he trailed off when he saw Grey’s unimpressed face.

“Steve,” Grey pinched the bridge of her nose. “Stop talking to me.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Ouch!”

Grey winced as Tony pressed the wet cloth against her arm. His soft hand was wrapped around her bicep as he cleaned the cut, the top of his tongue peeking out of his teeth as he concentrated.

“I’m okay, Tony.” Grey muttered softly. She had acquired the injury as they were heading back to the quinjet; a soldier had barrelled into her, a knife swinging around in his hand. It wasn’t bad, just needed cleaning and dressing, but Tony took it upon himself to play nurse.

“That’s the last time I’m leaving you with Cap.” He said as he finished cleaning the blood away from your arm. He grabbed the bandage, and worked on wrapping it around her arm. “That could’ve been your neck.”

Grey smiled softly. “But it wasn’t.”

Tony didn’t say anything, and Grey frowned. He was acting strange. She reached out with her good arm and brushed his hair away from his face. He looked up, and his eyes were worried.

“What happened in there? When you found the sceptre?” Grey asked quietly, keeping her voice down so the team wouldn’t hear.

“Nothing,” Tony said, but his voice was uncertain. Grey raised her eyebrow, and Tony sighed. “That girl – she got to me.”

“’Got to you’?”

“She got in my head.” Tony explained, tapping his temple with his finger. “She made me see... things.”

Grey could tell it was distressing Tony, and she leant forward and kissed his forehead. “It’s okay. We’ll talk about it later, hm?”

“Well,” Tony ran his hands up Grey’s thighs from his kneeling position between her legs. “I thought we could do something else later, but if you wanna talk, we can do that too-” He was interrupted by Grey gently smacking the side of his head.

“Quiet.”

Tony grinned, before standing back up. He gently kissed Grey, before pulling away and heading towards where Bruce was sitting. Grey watched him fondly, before she stood up and inched towards Thor and Steve, who were standing next to the sceptre.

Grey eyed the weapon suspiciously. She absentmindedly rubbed her chest, the small raised scar a reminder of the sharp point of the staff. She thought back to the man who wielded it.

“Any word on Loki’s body?” she quietly asked Thor, who sighed and shook his head. He had told her about their fight against Malakieth, the Dark Elf, and the death of his mother and Loki.

“Not yet, Lady Grey. They are still searching.”

Grey looked up at him in sorrow, “I’m sure they will find him, Thor.”

He offered her a smile, and they both looked back at the sceptre. It happily glowed.

“It feels good, yeah?” Tony, who had ambled over when he saw Thor and Grey talking, said. “I mean, you’ve been after this thing since S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed. Nor that I haven’t enjoyed our little raiding parties, but...”

“No, but this... this brings it to a close.”

Grey moved to wrap her arms around Tony’s middle, resting her head against his chest. The fight had drained her considerably. “We need to find out what else it’s been used for. There may be another brain washed army out there.”

“Not just weapons,” Steve piped up, “since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?”

Thinking back to the two mutants she had encountered in the crossfire, Grey bit her lip. “They were young. They shouldn’t have been working with H.Y.D.R.A.”

Tony rubbed his hand down her back soothingly, “Grey, Banner and I will give it a once over before it goes back to Asgard. That cool with you?” He asked Thor, who nodded his head.

“I mean, just a few days until the farewell party. You’re staying, right?”

Grey deflated slightly at the word ‘party’.

“Yes, yes, of course. A victory should be honoured with revels.” Thor mused.

“Yeah, who doesn’t love revels?” Tony grinned. “Captain?”

Steve glanced down at Grey, laughing a little as she glared back at him. “Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and H.Y.D.R.A., so, yes. Revels.”

Grey pouted. “I trusted you.”

“Blame him.” Steve nodded at Tony, and he chuckled slightly. Tony pressed his lips on the top of Grey’s head, a grin on his face.

The aircraft soon landed back at the Avengers compound. Grey practically skipped off it, happy to be out of the air. Tony was dragged behind her, his hand tight in her grasp. The rest of the team hurried off, Clint in a stretcher. He was quickly carted off in the direction of the labs. Grey watched in worry as Maria walked up to them.

“Lab’s all set up, Boss.” She said to Tony. He paused, his eyebrows raised behind his glasses.

“Actually, he’s the boss.” He pointed to Steve, who walked beside them with a smile. “I just pay for everything, and design everything, and make everyone look cooler.”

Grey looked up at him.

“Except Shadow – she makes me look cooler.”

Tony was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek, which made him grin as he walked towards the lab. Grey stayed with Steve and Maria.

“What’s the word on Strucker?” Steve inquired.

“NATO’s got him.”

“The two enhanced?”

“The two kids, you mean.” Grey interrupted, “they’re not just mutants, and they’re still people.”

Maria raised an eyebrow slightly, before continuing. “Wanda and Pietro Maximoff - twins. They were orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia’s had a rough history – it’s nowhere special, but it’s on the way to everywhere special.”

“Their abilities?”

“He’s got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation.”

Grey noted Steve’s confused expression. “He’s fast and she’s weird. And they’re going to show up again.”

Maria checked her clipboard. “File says they volunteered for Strucker’s experiments.”

“That’s crazy.” Grey mused, biting her lip as she thought. Steve shifted slightly.

“Right, what kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?”

Maria stopped, looking up with Steve with a sad expression. “We’re not a war, Captain.”

“They are.” Steve said firmly.

Grey thought about what Maria had said about the girl’s ability as she walked towards the labs. ‘Neural electric interfacing’. If she could control the synapses of a normal person, what could she do with a being which excluded electricity?

She wandered into the lab, still troubled over the idea of someone controlling her through her own ability. Bruce and Tony were talking together, and Natasha was next to an uncomfortable looking Clint, who was being taken care of by Doctor Helen Cho. Grey smiled over at her, and she recuperated the expression. She walked to Tony’s side.

“We’ve only got a couple of days with this joystick,” he said, referring to the sceptre. “So let’s make the most of it. JARVIS, update me on the structural and compositional analysis.”

Grey gave Bruce a hug as Tony focused on the weapon, and looked up at him. “You feeling better now?”

“A bit. The lullaby really worked.” Bruce looked over at Natasha, “if it wasn’t for Nat, I’d still be green.”

Grey smirked slightly – she knew all about Bruce’s secret harboured crush. “When are you going to ask her out?”

“Ask her out?” Bruce said nervously as he pushed his glasses up his nose. “I wouldn’t do that. She’s got Barton, anyway.”

“Barton?” Grey snorted with laughter, but clamped her hand over her mouth to keep the noise down. “Please, it’s not like that with them.”

Bruce pressed his lips together, stealing one last glance at Natasha before looking back at his computer screen. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Grey looked curiously at what Helen was doing, and decided to change the subject. “She’s creating tissue, isn’t she?”

Helen glanced up, having heard Grey’s comment. “The Regeneration Cradle could do his in twenty minutes.”

Tony looked down at Clint with a mock sad expression. “Oh, he’s flat lining. Call it - time?”

“Quarter past three.” Grey replied, a smirk on her face. Tony shot her a finger gun and a wink.

“No, no, no,” Clint mumbled weakly. “I’m going to live forever! I’m gonna be made of plastic.”

Tony handed Clint a drink as Helen checked over Clint. “You’ll be made of you, Mr Barton. Your own girlfriend won’t be able to tell the difference.”

“Well, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Grey nudged Bruce in the chest harder than she should’ve, and he yelped in pain. Grey smiled apologetically when everyone stared at her. “Sorry, I slipped.”

“I expect to see you at the party on Saturday, Helen.” Tony offered, but Helen shook her head.

“Unlike you, I don’t have a lot of time for parties.” She paused slightly. “Will Thor be there?” she looked over at Grey, who just winked.

They soon all left the lab, leaving Grey perched on one of the tables with Tony working quietly next to her. Grey watched him with a small smile, her eyes tracing the line of his jaw. Tony’s mouth twitched up into a smile.

“I can’t concentrate with you staring at me like that.”

“Well, I can’t help that you’re so good looking.” Grey mumbled slightly, and Tony looked up at her with a grin. He left his work before moving to stand between Grey’s legs, resting his hands on her hips.

“How did I get so lucky?” he mumbled, resting his head on hers. She smiled as their lips pressed together. They stayed like that for a while, until Tony started to push her shirt up. Grey pulled away, shaking her head slightly.

“We gotta talk.”

“Do we?” Tony peppered kisses on the corners of her lips. Grey grinned and pushed him away. He whined in annoyance.

“What did the girl show you?” Grey asked, and Tony looked at her for a moment, before he let his head drop and his shoulders sag.

He swallowed, and his grip tightened slightly on Grey’s waist as he spoke. “You were dead. Everyone was dead. I-I went over to you and you freaked out, and grabbed me, and just said in this dead voice... ‘You could’ve saved me – why couldn’t you do more?’.”

A tear slipped down his cheek, and Grey quickly wiped it away, her face concerned. “You saved everyone, Tony.” She said, her voice cracking slightly. “Everyone would’ve died if it wasn’t for you.”

“It just...” he sighed. “I don’t know. Seeing you, the team, dead, it-”

Grey nodded, before kissing his lips softly, ‘I know. I know.” Tony rested his face in the crook of her shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut. Grey wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight against her. She felt her stomach squeeze with concern over the man she loved.

One thing she was sure of was that the next time she saw the enhanced, she would electrocute first, ask questions later.


	3. Chapter 3

The pulsating music and grind of sweaty bodies so wasn’t Grey’s scene. But, being Tony Stark’s number 1 girl meant she had to appear at every party Tony threw. He knew she wasn’t as confident at parties – years of being invisible left her less than talkative.

Grey leant against the bar, sipping the sour liquid out of a martini glass. She hadn’t seen Tony in a few days; he’d been cooped up in the lab with Bruce, working on something secret. Grey assumed he was just investigating the sceptre, and was quietly looking forward to when Thor took it home, so she could have her boyfriend back.

Said Billionaire hadn’t appeared yet. It was a shame; the tiny black dress she had donned was going to waste.

“Grey?”

Looking up, Grey smiled when she saw it was Steve who was in front of her. “Hiya, Stevie.”

“You look like you’re having a swell old time.” Steve chuckled and joined her by the bar, grabbing himself a beer in the process.

Grey smiled wryly. “You know parties aren’t exactly my favourite place to be.”

“I know.” Steve grinned down at her. “Where’s Tony?”

Grey shrugged. “Not sure. He’ll make an appearance sooner or later.”

Steve frowned slightly, annoyance bubbling in his chest. He didn’t approve of the way Tony treated Grey – in his time, beautiful girls were never left at a party alone, and were whisked off their feet at every moment. Tony didn’t even leave his laboratory on most days.

He coughed and broke the silence which had grown between them. He wracked his mind for conversation starters, before settling for the only one he knew.

“Care to dance?”

Grey raised an eyebrow, and smirked. “Do you even know how to dance, Captain?”

A cheeky smile appeared on Steve’s face. “You haven’t seen anything yet, Doll.”

They pushed their way onto the dance floor as a funkier beat started playing. The two heroes moved along to the music and merged into the crowd. Grey felt herself feeling more and more confident as she danced.

The song got faster and so did her feet, before she stumbled into the man in front of her with a laugh. Steve caught her, his hands moving to her hips to steady her. Steve felt the electric sparkles coming out of her skin, and hastily removed his fingers.

Grey opened her mouth to apologise, before a second, familiar set of hands encircled her waist and tugged her towards them.

“Thanks for keeping her warm for me, Spangles.”

Tony’s lips grazed Grey’s neck as he spoke, and she smiled happily. She turned and threw her arms around his neck, pushing herself closer to him.

“You decided to show up to your own party then?” Steve said, biting his tongue to stop his annoyance showing. Tony playfully squeezed Grey.

“Can’t let my girl dance with old men now, can I?” he laughed, before he turned to Grey. “Drink, baby?”

Grey nodded, and with a wink Tony led them out of the crowd, leaving Steve in the bustle of dancing bodies.

The rest of the night passed with a flurry of drinks, laughter, dancing, and more drinks. Grey drank more than she would normally – Tony was a bad influence when it came to alcohol. Finally, the guests trailed out of the compound after the party died down, and left the Avengers sprawled out on the numerous couches, arguing over Thor’s magical hammer.

“It’s a trick!” Clint exclaimed, a large smile on his face. He was sat on the floor, next to Maria, twirling a drumstick between his fingers. Tony was sat next to James Rhodes (or Rhodey, as he was called by the team), and Grey was curled up in his lap. Bruce and Natasha were both on the couches wearing amused expressions, and Steve handed Thor a bottle opener as he sat down.

“Oh, no. It’s much more than that.”

“Uh, ‘Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power?’” Clint said mockingly, “Whatever man! It’s a trick.”

Thor smirked slightly. “Well please, be my guest.”

Grey laughed as Clint’s eyes went wide and he excitedly got up, moving over to where Mjolnir was sitting comfortably. He eyed it for a second.

“This is gonna be beautiful.” Rhodey murmured, and Grey giggled slightly, still tipsy as she lounged on her boyfriend.

“Clint, you’ve had a tough week.” She said with a smile. “We won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up.” Her comment was met with a round of laughter and a middle finger from Clint.

“You know I’ve seen this before, right?” Clint grabbed Mjolnir, and tugged at it confidently. Obviously, it didn’t budge. The team worked to conceal their laughter

Tony was the first to let out a chuckle. “Smell the silent judgement?”

Clint rolled his eyes and gestured to the hammer. “Please, Stark, by all means.”

Grey looked up as Tony’s expression changed to a determined one, a sly smirk on his lips as he downed the last of his scotch. She knew that look. He gently unhooked her legs from over his lap, before he stood up.

“Tony.” Grey groaned, a blush appearing on her face as a number of “here we go”s and “uh-oh”s came from the group.

“Never one to shrink from an honest challenge.” Tony said, his voice slurring slightly. “It’s physics.”

“Physics!” Bruce said in agreement.

Tony grasped the handle, and he caught Grey’s eye. She winked at him. “Doing it for you, baby.” He said, pointing a finger at her. “If I lift it, I’ll rule Asgard?”

“Yes, of course.” Thor said, smiling widely.

“I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta.” Tony gave a massive tug, but Mjolnir refused to move. He did it again, and again, and still, nothing. “Be right back.”

Grey watched as Tony quickly scuttled off out of the room, and smiled fondly when he returned with his armoured hand. The weapon still didn’t move.

Tony’s third idea was to use Rhodey and his armoured hand. They both pulled – no movement.

“Are you even pulling?” Rhodey asked, breathless.

“Are you on my team?”

“Just represent, pull!”

Even with the boosters on their armoured hands, they couldn’t shift Mjolnir. Bruce attempted, and let out a roar when he couldn’t. Grey laughed as Tony’s hands tightened on her protectively. “Let’s go, Steve. No pressure.” He ordered as Bruce sat back down.

Steve blushed slightly, shaking his head.

“Come on, Cap.” Grey said encouragingly, her smile wide. Steve sighed, before he stood and braced himself behind the hammer. He held it with both hands and tugged hard – Grey could’ve sworn she saw Mjolnir move, and her breath caught in her throat – but it hardly shifted. Thor chuckled.

“Nothing.”

Tony placed his hands on Grey’s shoulders. “Come on baby, I’ve got fifty bucks on you.”

“No way.” Grey laughed, but the chanting of her name from the team forced her up. She made a show of stretching out her arms, giggling when Tony wolf whistled at her. She tightened her hold on Mjolnir’s handle, and tugged.

The electricity which surrounded her hands travelled down the handle and onto the hammer, encasing it. It didn’t budge, but Grey felt the power from it enter her. She let go with a huff, and looked down at her hand with a small wince.

“That thing hurts, Thor.” She whined, before she moved to cuddle up to Tony again. He sent her a smile, and she rolled her eyes playfully.

Tony leant down and rested his forehead on the side of Grey’s skull, and whispered softly. “He looked worried.”

Grey frowned slightly in confusion. “But it didn’t move.”

“It did something, Thor looked freaked out.” He pressed a kiss to her head. “I’m proud.” He finished whispering, and addressed the room instead.

“All deference to the man who wouldn’t be king, but it’s rigged.”

Clint scoffed. “You bet your ass.”

“Steve,” Maria said, having been quiet before. “He said a bad language word.”

Steve glared accusingly at Grey and Tony. “Did you tell everyone about that?”

“The handle’s imprinted, right?” Tony drummed his fingers against Grey’s skin, “Like a security code. “Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints” is, I think, the literal translation?”

“Yes, well that’s – that’s a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one.” Thor stood up and lifted Mjolnir with ease, and flipped it. “You are all not worthy.”

A chorus of disagreement erupted from the crowd, and each team member argued against that in between bouts of laughter. It was a pure moment, one then interrupted by a loud, screeching white noise. Grey felt every hair stand on end as the scream filled her ears, and she clamped her hands down on them. Tony had his own hands on his ears, but his head was pressed against Grey’s, desperate to make sure she was touching him so he knew she was okay.

The screech faded, and Grey looked up in fear. A clunking sound came from the other side of the room. An old, discarded, broken suit of Tony’s stumbled out. Each member stood up slowly, facing the creature. Tony gently pushed Grey behind him, and she vanished.

“Worthy... No... How could you be worthy?” a bone chilling, electronic voice appeared from the machine. “You’re all killers.”

“Tony...” Grey whispered, her fingers going to tug on his shirt.

“Stark.” Steve repeated.

Tony frowned, before glancing up at the ceiling. “JARVIS.”

The robot continued to drone on. “I’m sorry, I was asleep...” it rubbed its head with its stump. “Or... I was a dream?”

“Reboot. Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit.” Tony tapped on the device to trigger the Iron Legion, but nothing happened. Grey felt herself beginning to panic.

“There was a terrible noise... and I was tangled in... in... in strings. I had to kill the other guy.” It paused. “He was a good guy.”

Grey felt the feeing in the room shift as the robot announced its murder. Steve stood up straighter, his hands flexing slightly. “You killed someone?”

“Wouldn’t have been my first call. But, down in the real world we’re faced with ugly choices.”

“Who sent you?” Thor asked, his hand still gripped tight on Mjolnir. The suit cocked its head, before a voice recording played out of it. A familiar voice.

“’I see a suit of armour around the world.’” Tony’s words erupted from it, and Grey felt Tony deflate slightly. She looked up at him, and he had turned pale.

“Ultron!” Bruce breathed, disbelief laced in his words. Grey was confused- of course, Tony had talked about Ultron before, but she never thought he would do it. She never thought he could do it.

Ultron let out a chuckle. “In the flesh. Or no, not yet. Not this... chrysalis. But I’m ready. I’m on a mission.”

“What mission?” Natasha asked, and Grey spied her hand wrapped around the gun by her side.

There was a brief pause. “Peace in our time.”

Suddenly, the Iron Legion suits blasted through the walls behind him. The group scattered and Grey let out a scream as one went straight for her, and she fell back onto the floor. She kicked it hard, and it broke on top of her. Grey stood back up, and felt the electricity crackle in her as she shot at the suits and electrocuted them.

“We are here to help.” The suits repeated. “It’s unsafe.”

“Tony!” Grey yelled. Tony was frantically trying to shut the suits down, as the rest of the team were fighting them off.

“One sec, one sec!” He shouted, “That’s the one.” With a final, furious, button press, the remaining suits shut down. Steve smashed his shield into one, cutting it in half with a grunt. The team panted and turned back to Ultron, who had been standing in the same position. Grey reappeared, wincing at the bruise forming on her ribs.

Tony moved back to Grey, his hand immediately going to hers protectively.

A creepy, metallic laugh came from Ultron. “That was dramatic! I’m sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn’t think it through. You want to protect this world, but you don’t want it to change. How is humanity saved if it’s not allowed to... evolve?”

He picked up the skull of a dismembered Iron Legion suit, looking at it with curiosity. Grey inched closer to Tony. She glanced at Steve, who had a frown on his face. He looked over at her, and shook his head when he saw the electricity swirling around her fingers.

“With these? These puppets? There’s only one path to peace.” Ultron continued, “The Avengers’ extinction.”

Finally, Thor threw Mjolnir into the robot, and it smashed into pieces. Grey relaxed slightly, but her grip on Tony’s hand tightened when a horrific singing came from the remains of Ultron.

“I had strings, but now I’m free,

There are no strings on me... no strings on me.”


	4. Chapter 4

The team where surrounded in one of the lab, a frantic air around them. None of the computers were working – everything had blown in the fight. Grey was stood in the corner, her arms wrapped around herself. Ultron had shaken her - she couldn’t get his steely voice out of her mind.

She looked up as Tony rubbed her back softly, before mumbling quietly, “I didn’t break the computers again, did I?”

Tony shook his head silently. Grey bit her lip, moving closer to him and nudging herself under his arm.

“All our work is gone.” Bruce murmured, his hands moving to grip his hair in worry, “Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch.”

Steve watched him panic. “Ultron.”

“He’s been in everything.” Natasha continued, “Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other.”

Grey shivered as she said that. He would know everything that was in her file. He would know things Tony didn’t even know. She felt like she’d been secretly watched, and she hated it.

“He’s in your files, he’s in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?” Rhodey said ominously.

“Nuclear codes.” Maria replied, a haunted tone to her voice.

“Nuclear codes,” repeated Rhodey. “Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we can.”

Grey swallowed and said in a small voice. “He said he wanted us dead.”

Steve stood on Grey’s other side, watching her – he knew she was terrified, and he was furious. “He didn’t say dead. He said extinct.” He said.

“He also said he killed somebody.” Clint brought up, and that put another pound of dread inside Grey’s stomach.

“But there wasn’t anybody else in the building.” Grey said, her eyes wide. She looked up at Tony. “Was there?”

Tony bit his lip, before dropping his head. “There was.”

He walked forward and flicked his wrist – a 3D image of a consciousness appeared. It was completely destroyed.

“J.A.R.V.I.S.?” Grey stuttered.

Bruce pushed back his hair in disbelief. “This is insane.”

“J.A.R.V.I.S. was the first line of defence.” Steve sighed unhappily. “He would’ve shut Ultron down. It makes sense.”

“No.” Bruce shook his head firmly. “This isn’t strategy, this is... rage.”

The air was thick for a second, before Thor stormed towards Tony. He grabbed him by the throat and held him up, his face contorted with anger. Grey let out a yelp of ignition as Clint jumped backwards.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! It’s going around.”

Tony struggled in Thor’s grasp. “Come on, use your words, buddy.”

“I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark.” Thor growled.

Grey’s vision flashed red and she stormed forward, her own hand going to Thor’s wrist. She sent a furious shockwave down it, and Thor pulled his own hand away. Of course, it didn’t hurt him, but the surprise was there.

Grey glared up at the God. The size difference was laughable – a small, sparking girl facing a larger than life Asguardian – but Grey was undeniably fiercer.

“Don’t touch my stuff.” She said, fury lacing her words.

Thor looked down at her, but there was no anger in his stare, only sadness. Tony breathed heavily behind her, his face devoid of colour.

“What she said.”

“The trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it’s headed north, and it has the sceptre. Now we have to retrieve it.” Thor’s eyes flicked from Grey to Tony. “Again.”

Natasha shook her head at the word. “The genie’s out of the bottle. Clear and present is Ultron.”

Helen, who had been thoroughly shaken by the attack, looked around at the team with a distraught expression. “I don’t understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?”

Grey readied herself to listen to Tony’s explanation, but faltered when he began to laugh. She glanced at Bruce for help, but he was just as confused as her.

“You think this is funny?” Thor growled threateningly, taking a step forward towards Tony. Grey subtly moved between them again, her eyes flashing in anger. He backed down, but kept his eyes on the man behind her, who was still giggling away.

“No, it’s probably not, right?” Tony chuckled weakly, “Is this very terrible? Is it so... is it so... it is. It’s so terrible.”

Grey looked over her shoulder at him – he sounded crazy.

“This could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t played with something you don’t understand.” Thor said gravely.

Tony twitched and moved in front of Grey, openly challenging Thor. “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It is funny. It’s a hoot that you don’t get why we need this.”

The team stared at Tony in disbelief, and the tension in the room grew. It was obvious nobody else found it funny.

“Tony,” Bruce said tentatively, “maybe this might be the time to...”

He rounded on Bruce with a harsh expression. “Really?! That’s it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time someone snarls.”

“Only when I’ve created a murder bot.” Bruce spat out, his accusing tone pointed at Tony.

“But we didn’t, we weren’t even close! Were we close to an interface?” Tony retaliated.

Grey pinched the bridge of her nose in stress, sighing slightly as Steve jumped in. The anger in the room had intensified to the point it was making her head pound.

“Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different from S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Tony raised his hands in a shrug. “Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?”

“No, it’s never come up.” Rhodey replied in a clipped tone.

“Saved New York?”

Grey rolled her eyes. “Never heard that.”

“Recall that?” Tony asked, his eyes blazing. “A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We’re sanding three hundred feet below it. We’re the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That’s... that’s the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?”

Steve swallowed, before staring down at him. “Together.”

“We’ll lose.” Tony said in a beat. Grey felt a cold dread settle on her at the idea of beyond the wormhole. Tony had described it to her in detail.

“Then we’ll do that together, too.” Steve said firmly. Tony turned away with a shake of his head. “Thor’s right Ultron’s calling us out. And I’d like to find him before he’s ready for us. The world’s a big place. Let’s start making it smaller.”

Tony stayed silent, before Grey moved closer to him, and linked her fingers through his. She felt the preying eyes of the team watch her, and she glanced back at them.

“If we’re so ready to fight this thing, shouldn’t you all go and suit up?”

That was a polite way of her saying ‘Fuck off’.

The team slowly filtered out of the room, leaving just Steve, Tony and Grey. Tony had his hands placed on one of the tables, his head hung forward.

Steve walked past them, but his hand reached out and wrapped around Grey’s arm. He pulled her to him, out of earshot from Tony.

“You can’t defend him for this.” He muttered, looking down at her with a serious expression. “Even as his girlfriend.”

Grey defiantly tugged her arm out of Steve’s grip. “I will side by who I think is right, Captain.” She said his name with a fierce tone. “Boyfriend or not.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “You can’t be serious-”

Electricity crackled between them, and Grey raised an eyebrow. “I’m serious, Steve.”

Steve looked down at her in silence, before leaving the room with an air of anger. Grey shrunk slightly as he left, and turned back to Tony.

“You don’t have to stay with me.” Tony said in defeat after a moment of silence. Grey didn’t say anything. “Don’t feel like you have an obligation or anything, just because you’re my girlfriend.”

Grey sighed, before looking up at him. “We seem to have all of our serious chats in here, don’t we?”

Tony rubbed his face in exhaustion, before sighing. “I’ve fucked up, I know, but Ultron could’ve been good. I would’ve made him good.”

The silence between them spoke volumes. Grey believed him, and he knew that.


	5. Chapter 5

None of the team had seen Grey since the confrontation in the lab. She had vanished, preferring to keep to herself in her and Tony’s room instead. Each Avenger had knocked on the door, but Grey had stayed silent until they had left. She had allowed Tony in briefly, but he had quickly retracted when he realised she wouldn’t be showing herself.

She wasn’t angry at him – she was more angered by herself. The thoughts in Grey’s head all screamed that she could’ve done more. She could’ve helped convince Tony this wasn’t a good idea. But she didn’t.

The familiar sound of knuckles against wood sounded, and once again Grey did nothing but expect them to give up. This time, a voice appeared instead.

“Grey? I know you’re in there.”

The familiar voice made Grey flicker, a twinge of annoyance inside her belly. She knew that he was sorry for what he’d said back in the lab, but it didn’t stop her from being angry.

There was a pause. “Please?”

Grey groaned, before she strode to the door and opened it just enough to glare at the man behind it. “What do you want, Captain?”

Steve fidgeted slightly at the steely stare he received. “Maria has some information. I thought you’d want to hear it.”

“Is that it?”

He paused, before sighing. “I can’t excuse what he’s done, Grey. It was stupid, and irresponsible... he shouldn’t have put us in danger like that. He shouldn’t have put you in danger like that!”

Grey’s eyes flashed, and Steve flinched at the visible spark that ran over her skin. “When did this become about me? It’s not like Tony thought ‘I’m gonna get a murder robot to assassinate my girlfriend, because I love her so much’!” Grey hissed angrily, her eyebrows narrowed.

“He needs to remember that you’re not suicidal like he is.” Steve growled back. “If I were you, I’d rethink-”

“You know what? I’m done with this. Let’s just go to Maria.” Grey interrupted, pushing past him. She was sick of hearing what she could and couldn’t think. Steve jumped back slightly, before following her into the conference room.

Maria was stood in there, a tablet in one hand. The two walked up to her, who started talking in a slightly panicked voice. “He’s all over the globe – robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man coming in and emptying the place.” The three headed towards the conference room.

“Fatalities?” Steve asked.

Maria shook her head. “Only when engaged. Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see.”

Grey frowned as she realised what Maria was insinuating. “The twins – they’re working with him. It makes sense – they have someone in common.”

They paused in the corridor, and Grey spied Clint on the phone by one of the windows. He nodded at her, seeming deep in his conversation.

“Not anymore.” With a sigh, Maria handed Steve the tablet she held. Grey moved closer to him to take a look at it, not realising she was emitting angry electricity as she did. Steve flinched slightly.

“Sorry.” She murmured quietly as they both looked at the tablet. Grey felt her heart sink as a bloody Stucker filled the screen, ‘PEACE’ written next to him in dripping red. She shivered slightly, before pushing the tablet away.

Steve swallowed, before turning back to Clint, who was still on the phone behind them. “Barton. We might have something.”

Clint nodded, quickly saying his goodbyes down the phone. Steve turned back to Grey. “I’ll tell the others.” He paused, tension obvious between them. “Or you can.”

Grey rolled her eyes as Steve and Maria left the hallway. Clint finished his call before coming to stand by Grey.

“Who was that?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

She laughed as Clint flushed.

“Girlfriend.” He winked at Grey, before following Steve out of the room. Grey stood for a moment, not registering what he said. Then it clicked.

“Girlfriend?!”

\-------------------------

The team were gathered back in the conference room, Steve leading the mission. Tony glared at him from where he stood. He felt the rush of anger inside him at the Captain. Of course, he knew all about his harboured feelings for Grey – who wouldn’t have them? She was practically perfect. And she was his. Not Steve’s. Not anyone else’s.

The girl he was thinking of entered the room with Clint. The twisting of jealousy wiggled in his stomach as he watched her. Tony knew he was being irrational, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. He smiled tightly at her when she came over, and tugged her close to him. Tony pretended not to notice when she flickered in and out of vision. It meant she was unhappy.

Steve cleared his throat, holding out the tablet. Tony could feel Grey tense next to him, and he raised his eyebrows.

“What’s this?” He took the electronic, looking down at it with raised eyebrows. He winced slightly at the picture, but didn’t let it show

“A message.” Steve stated solemnly, “Ultron killed Strucker.”

Tony swallowed slightly, “and he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us... Ow!” He flinched at the sharp shock he received from his girlfriend.

“This is a smokescreen.” Grey looked over at Natasha, who nodded in agreement. “Why send a message when you’ve just given a speech?”

Steve rubbed his chin slightly, “Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss.”

“Yeah, I bet he...” Nat paused as she typed a few words into a working computer. “Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased.”

Tony grinned, an idea sparking in his mind. “Not everything!” Grey let out a soft groan. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

Soon enough, the team were rootling through every file they had. Grey sighed in exhaustion, rubbing at her eyes.

“Tony, I love you dearly, but this isn’t working.”

Steve pulled out a file, looking down at it in confusion. “Known associates.” He flipped through the paper documents and tugged one out, scanning it. “Well, Stucker had a lot of friends.”

Grey peeked her head around Steve’s shoulder to stare at the file. “These people seem... lovely.” She said sarcastically. Tony took a glance at one paper, before doing a double take.

“Wait. I know that guy.” Grey passed him the photo she was holding, and Tony took it, staring at it intently. “From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms.”

He felt Steve’s accusing stare, and sent him a glare. “There are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn’t sell him anything.”

Grey stood next to Tony protectively, glancing down at the photo. It was labelled ‘Ulysses Klaue’. The man in the picture gave her an uneasy feeling, like her skin was crawling. She wrinkled her nose. Tony continued with a shrug. “He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very ‘Ahab’.”

Thor looked at the photo curiously, brushing his finger over it. He pointed at a strange mark at the side of Klaue’s neck. “This?”

“Uh, it’s a tattoo. I don’t think he had it...” Tony started, but Grey cut him off softly as she moved closer to the photo.

“No, those are tattoos.” She identified the inkings on his arms, before pointing back at the one at the back of his neck. “This is a brand.” Bruce glanced at it, and then typed a couple of sentences into his computer.

He nodded after a few seconds. “Grey is right. It’s a word in an African dialect meaning thief... in a much less friendly way.”

Steve frowned. “What dialect?”

“Wak-an-ada...?” Bruce frowned, struggling to pronounce the word. “Wa... Wa...”

“Wakanda?” Grey said, smiling helpfully. Bruce nodded, repeating the name. “It’s a country in East Africa, between Ethiopia and Kenya. We had some plants transported in ages ago.” She shifted slightly as Tony looked down at her, his eyes wide. “What?”

Tony’s eyebrows rose, letting out a weak laugh. He looked over at Steve, who matched his disbelieving expression. Grey watched them, confused. “If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods...”

“I thought your father got the last of it?” Steve asked. Although he looked calm, his voice showed a trace of worry.

Grey looked around at the group, feeling herself becoming more anxious. She saw her own confusion mirrored on everyone’s face, and her flickering worsened.

“I don’t follow,” said Bruce slowly. “What comes out of Wakanda?”

Tony stayed quiet for a moment, and he looked down at Grey. She met his eyes, frowning in uncertainty. He stared at her, seconds passing, before moving his gaze to Steve’s shield.

“The strongest metal on Earth.”

A collective twinge of fear rippled through the group. Clint stood up straighter, Bruce tensed his hold on his glasses, and Natasha swallowed. Grey slipped her hand into Tony’s, and he squeezed it softly.

Steve cleared his throat, before looking back at Tony. “Where’s this guy now?”


	6. Chapter 6

Grey walked down the hallway of Klaue’s basement, her thoughts running wild into her head. She knew Steve, Tony and Thor were close behind her, but her heart still thumped with nerves. She could hear her own footsteps clear as day in her ears, and she winced every time she stepped.

“You can pull out, Grey, you don’t have to go in.” Tony said into her earpiece, and Grey rolled her eyes. Every mission he underestimated her, and it annoyed her endlessly.

“I’ve got this, Tony.” She murmured into the microphone, before concealing herself completely.

She crept along a corridor, freezing when she heard the low rumble of Ultron’s voice. Her insides twisted together and she rippled in fear. That voice pierced through her head, a metallic screeching filling her ears. Grey felt sparks fly from her fingers before she pushed through.

Ultron and the two enhanced stood by an open safe, glittering vibranium stashed behind them. Grey’s heart dropped when she took in the sight of Ultron. He was larger, shinier, and radiated a pure evil. She gulped, before taking a step closer.

“Umbra, don’t do it.” Steve’s voice ordered, but Grey rolled her eyes. She felt determination fill her as she ignored his words and stalked forward.

“Upon this rock I will build my church.” Klaue’s henchman handed Ultron a piece of the metal, his master merely two foot away.”Vibranium.” He then threw the vial in the direction of one of the enhanced – Pietro. He caught it, looking at it curiously. Grey watched in silence.

Klaue was also watching, distaste evident on his face from the business deal, and he rubbed the burn mark on his neck. “You know, it came at great personal cost. It’s worth billions.”

Ultron chuckled, the noise travelling through the air and chilling Grey to the bone. She felt her fingers tremble, itching with electricity. She was too worked up, she could feel it. In her attempt to control the sparks falling from her fingers, Grey stumbled – and immediately felt herself locked in the arms of the Maximoff boy.

In shock, Grey felt her invisible shield fall and her body come into view. She looked up at the giant Metal Man before her and he stared down at her with curiosity on his steel face.

“What’s this?” he drawled. Grey felt the arms around her tighten in response to the currents running through them, and she shuffled in discomfort. The buzzing in her ear went dead, and she cursed silently.

Ultron paused for a minute and looked at Grey curiously. “I recognise you. You were in the Tower when I was... created.”

Grey stayed silent, and the only noise that travelled around the room was the crackling from Grey’s fingertips and Klaue’s laboured breathing.

“She is with him?” The girl, Wanda, eyed Grey suspiciously. “As what, a pet?”

Feeling fury rise up in her, Grey sent out a large shockwave of electricity. Pietro released her with a yelp of pain, and Klaue fell against the wall with a grunt. Ultron seemed unaffected, and Wanda was in front of Grey in a second, threatening red mist floating around her hands. Grey breathed heavily, almost daring the girl to use her power.

“Enough, Wanda.”

Ultron’s words surprised Grey, and she didn’t fight as her arms were locked behind her back again. She watched the robot with curiosity as Wanda huffed and stepped back. He took a step closer and lifted her chin with a metal finger. Grey sent down a small shock down his finger, not wanting to aggravate him anymore.

He let out a small “Huh,” before turning back to Klaue. Grey shifted in Pietro’s grasp, and was glad her ear piece had stopped working – Tony was for sure cursing up a storm.

“As I was saying...” Ultron chuckled, before tapping a few numbers onto one of Klaue’s screens. “It’s worth billions, and now so are you. It’s all under your dummy holdings? Finance is so weird.” He shrugged. “But I always say, ‘keep your friends rich and your enemies rich, and wait to find out which is which?”

Grey frowned and looked over at Klaue. Tony had said that to her merely a few days prior.

“Stark.” Klaue said after a few moments of silence, his eyebrows rising in surprise. The Maximoff twins stood a little straighter, and Grey’s heart almost stopped.

The tension in the room grew, and Ultron rounded on Klaue. “What?” he said, his voice steely.

Klaue swallowed slightly, and Grey noticed his forehead suddenly get sweaty. “Tony Stark used to say that... to me.” He paused, his eyes widening. “You’re one of his.”

“What?! I’m not-!” Ultron raged, before grabbing Klaue tightly in his metal fist. One of Klaue’s men grabbed his gun, but Wanda quickly forced his hand back. “I’m not. You think I’m one of Stark’s puppets, like this girl – his hollow men? I mean look at me, do I look like Iron Man? Stark is nothing!”

In his fit of anger, Ultron sliced through Klaue’s arm. Grey let out a scream as Klaue groaned when he was dropped, clutching his stump in pain as he stumbled back from the metal being in front of him, towards a nearby staircase.

“I’m sorry, I am sorry... I’m sure that’s going to be okay.” Ultron muttered. “I’m sorry, it’s just I don’t understand. Don’t compare me with Stark!” He lifted his foot, and kicked Klaue down the stairs, his henchman following after. Grey winced as he heard the cracking of bones, nausea swishing around in her stomach.

Ultron took a shuddering, robotic breath, before turning to look down at Grey. A moment passed as the two stared at each other, before Ultron frowned and turned back to Klaue. “It’s a thing with me. Stark is, he’s a sickness!”

Suddenly, the entrance was flung open with a loud clang. Grey jumped, and Pietro moved one arm to her waist to stop her from running. She let out a relieved breath when she saw the familiar red and gold of Tony’s suit, and Thor and Steve behind him.

“Ahh, Junior.” Tony said in a clipped tone. Ultron turned his head, glaring behind him. “You’re gonna break your old man’s heart.”

Ultron stood straighter, and Tony watched as Pietro tugged Grey forward to stand with him and Wanda. He glared as Ultron spoke. “If I have to.”

“We don’t have to break anything.” Thor said, Mjolnir tight in his hand. Ultron cocked his head.

“Clearly you’ve never made an omelette.”

Grey saw Tony twitch slightly, before he spoke into his mic. “He beat me by one second.” She tried to suppress a hysterical laugh, ending in a yelp when Pietro squeezed her.

“Watch it, kid!”

“Ah, this is funny, Mr Stark?” Pietro drawled, his accent thick. “It’s what, comfortable? Like old times?” He glanced to the numerous weapons which were dotted around Klaue’s basement, focusing on the missiles.

Tony shook his head. “This was never my life.”

“You two can still walk away from this.” Steve added, nodding at the Twins.

Wanda smiled, sarcasm lacing her words. “Oh, we will.”

“I know you’ve suffered.”

Ultron suddenly let out a disgusted groan at Steve’s words. “Captain America. God’s righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can’t physically throw up in my mouth, but..”

“If you believe in peace, then let us keep it.” Thor offered, though his stance and tone said nothing of peace.

“I think you’re confusing peace with quiet.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yuh-huh – what’s the Vibranium for?”

Ultron’s face contorted on what could’ve been a smile. “I’m glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan.”

He waved his hand in the air, before he closed his fist and a magnetically pulled Tony closer to him as his Iron Leigon suits attacked both Steve and Thor. Grey sent a shockwave through Pietro, using his moment of weakness to buck her head back into his nose. He released her with a groan of pain, and Grey scrambled back to where Thor and Steve were starting to fight.

Thor shocked down a few suits, before sending a bolt of electricity to Grey. She sparked appreciatively, before grabbing a suit by the neck and frying it.

Grey winced when a large object barrelled into her, seeing only the silver hair of Pietro before the blur whizzed off. She was distracted by it, and didn’t notice the red mist appear around her head.

“Have fun.” A female voice murmured in her ear.

She felt her eyes roll back as electricity surrounded her, and she slumped backwards.

\------------------

_There was nothing but pain. Burning, searing, scorching pain. It attacked every nerve, and pressed against Grey’s brain. Somebody was screaming._

_Flames were erupting in every corner she could see – shattered glass and numerous chemicals scattering the floor. She looked down at herself; her hands were red raw, flames covering them. Grey felt bile rise in her throat, and she rolled over as she retched. Glass pressed into her bare skin, and she cried out._

_She forced her eyes open, trying to find a way out of the burning room. The dangerous glow stung her eyes, but she forced them open; there was another person lying next to her. He wasn’t as burnt as her, but the flames were slowly creeping up his fingers. Grey whimpered when she saw his perfect face, his closely manicured beard almost half scorched off, blood seeping out of his mouth._

_“Tony.” She croaked. Her throat burned, but she forced the words out of her mouth. He coughed, more blood spluttering out of his lips, and his eyes sought hers._

_“What... did... you... do?” Tony whispered, his eyes boring into hers. “You... caused this.” Within a second, Tony had disintegrated into ash with a low groan._

_Grey scrambled back, a scream forcing its way out of her chest through her mouth. Suddenly, burnt, ashy figures surrounded her: her lover; a scientist; an archer; a captain; a spy; and a God. They dropped their dusty jaws, and a barrage of screeches escaped the dark holes – a mixture of “Your fault!” and “You should’ve burned!” falling out of their grotesque mouths. Grey covered her ears, and before long she was screaming. It did nothing to push their accusing voices out of her head._


	7. Chapter 7

“Umbra! Wake up!” A sharp slap from a calloused hand hit Grey’s cheek.

Grey’s eyes shot open and she took in a shuddering breath, sitting up as coughs wracked through her body. Her throat burned as she tried to suck in a breath, and she grasped it with her throat.

“Here, drink this.”

She felt the tip of a water bottle push pass her lips and the cool liquid escape down her chin, and she gulped it down eagerly. Grey wiped the water off her face with her arm and opened her eyes. Clint looked down at her with worried eyes, before quickly lifting her off the ground into standing position.

“Clint?” Grey’s voice was rusty and weak. “What’s happened? Where is everybody?”

He looked down at her gravely, wrapping an arm around her waist to prop her up as they started to walk out of the weapons base. “The girl – Wanda – she used her creepy mind control on the team. She hit you first, knocked you out real good, and then made her way through everybody. Her, Ultron and the little shit escaped before Bruce-” he paused, “he went green.”

“He hulked out?” She whispered, worry deep in her stomach. She glanced around her, noting the crushed weaponry and crumbling walls, and a lumped formed in her throat. “Is Tony okay?”

“Everybody’s back on the jet.” He paused slightly. “They’re all in pretty bad shape.”

They continued to walk in silence, and Grey winced when Clint’s fingers pressed up against a bruise forming on her ribs. That kid must’ve held her a little too hard.

“How come you got away?” Grey mumbled as they neared the jet. Clint chuckled.

“Already done the whole mind control thing. Not my favourite.”

The two heroes clambered onto the Quinjet, an eerie feeling enveloping them as Clint climbed into the pilots’ seat. As the plane took off, Grey looked around, first seeing Bruce crouched on the ground. Thor sat to the side of him, his hands clasping Mjolnir and a vacant expression on his face. Natasha’s eyes were unfocused as she stared at her hands.

Steve stared out of the window of the jet, and Grey gently placed her hand on his arm. He turned to her, tear tracks evident on his cheeks, before turning his attention back to the sky they were now in.

“Grey...”

She turned, and met Tony’s worried eyes. She immediately rushed to him, looping her arms round his neck and hugging him tightly. He squeezed her against him, sighing into her hair. Grey felt her own tears spurt from her eyes as they held each other in silence.

They parted after a few moments, and Grey wiped the droplets of tears off her face.”What happened to them?” she murmured.

“She got to all of us, the witch... she messed with our heads. It hit Banner the worst -” Tony lowered his voice slightly; “he went rouge, destroyed half of the city. I had to call in V.E.R.O.N.I.C.A.”

Grey felt her heart drop at the mention of the suit, and she glanced over at Bruce. He was huddled up, a grey jumper covering his sweat soaked body as he shivered. His skin was a sickly pale, and beads of sweat covered his forehead – he looked like he was going to either throw up or pass out. As he breathed heavily, he tugged at his jumper in distress.

She turned back to her boyfriend, and he brushed her hair back with his hand. “I’m so relieved you’re okay...” Tony muttered, shaking his head. Grey nodded, before leaning up to kiss him softly. He sighed as he dropped his hands to her waist, and tugged her gently against him to hold her close. They parted after a second, and Grey dropped her gaze as Steve walked towards them.

“Maria’s on the line, Tony.” He said quietly. Tony nodded, and placed another careful kiss on Grey’s lips, then headed to the front of the jet to speak to the agent.

Grey looked up at Steve, who smiled sadly at her. “You get hit too?” Steve nodded.

“You got it first.”

She nodded, sighing. Flashes of flames flickered in her mind, and could feel herself sagging from the energy flowing from her fingers. Grey felt her lip quiver, before she was cocooned in a pair of strong arms. As Steve hugged her, she broke down. The vision of her friends burning in front of her wouldn’t leave the front of her mind, no matter how much she tried to force it away.

“Y-You were all dying, and it was my fault...” she choked out, tears clouding her vision. Steve rubbed her back comfortingly as she cried into him.

“It wasn’t your fault – it won’t be your fault.” He said firmly, pulling away to look down at the girl in front of him. “Trust me, Grey. I won’t let anything hurt us.”

Grey opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, Clint’s voice sounded through the voice over in the Quinjet.

“ _Ladies and gentlemen this is your Captain speaking, we will be landing in t-minus ten minutes so please put on your seatbelts, sit comfortably, and I’ll try not to crash this thing. Captain Barton, over and out_.”

Grey let out a weak chuckle as she sat down and buckled herself in. Tony joined her, his mouth in a thin line. As they started to land, Grey felt what was left of the electricity fizz out of her, and she suddenly felt exhausted. She flickered in and out of vision, and Tony looked down at her worriedly as she slumped against him.

“This ‘safe house’ Clint’s taking us to better have a bed.” He grumbled quietly. When they landed, Tony gently nudged Grey.”Come on, we’ve landed.”

“Where?” she asked groggily as she sat up to peer out the window. The quinjet had landed in what seemed to be a farm. Fields of grass and wheat stretched for miles, covered in shrubbery and trees. A few white spots of sheep grazed in the distance. Closer to the plane stood a farmhouse, paired with a larger barn. A few dogs ran around, and the atmosphere of the place was cosy. Grey felt a feeling of safety settle over her, and she sighed contently.

Tony looped his arm around Grey’s waist as they stood up, and looked around with confused eyes. He kept his girl by his side protectively as they walked out of the jet.

“What is this place?” Thor asked, seeming unsure about the house, and Grey shrugged. Only Natasha seemed to know where she was, but even she still looked dazed. She leaned heavily onto Clint’s side.

“A safe house?” Tony offered. Clint glanced back at them as he opened the door.

“Let’s hope.”

The Avengers quietly walked into the farmhouse. It was decorated as if a family lived there; children’s drawings and family photographs. Grey frowned as she looked closer at them – was that Clint, or was she so tired she was seeing things?

Clint looked around the house with wide eyes, and then cautiously called out, “Honey, I’m home!”

Grey’s eyes widened as a heavily pregnant woman headed into the kitchen. She took in the tired, battered Avengers, and her sweet face dropped in sadness. She seemed to perk up again when she saw Clint.

“Hi. Company, sorry I didn’t call ahead.” Clint explained as the woman walked towards him.

“Hey.” She murmured, before the two kissed softly. Grey gasped quietly, believing her eyes were playing tricks on her. Tony looked down at her, before saying to her and Thor.

“This is an agent of some kind.”

Clint turned to the group, smiling proudly. “Guys, this is Laura.”

“I know all your names,” Laura said awkwardly.

Grey swallowed, looking over at the pregnant woman with a lump in her throat. Before she could reply, the attention was diverted to the loud footsteps of two children running into the room. The Avengers all looked at them in amazement.

“Dad!” The two children jumped onto Clint, who immediately hugged them tightly.

“These are... smaller agents.” Tony concluded.

Thor looked as equally confused as Clint swung around the little girl and kissed the boy on the head. Grey blinked in shock. “Tony, Clint has a _family_.” She felt the inside of her stomach twist at the word.

The girl smiled widely at her father, before asking excitedly, “did you bring Auntie Nat?”

Natasha, despite still seeming uncertain and exhausted, walked forward with what was perhaps the kindest smile Grey had ever seen on her face. She grinned at the child, before saying “Why don’t you hug her and find out?”

After a moment, Steve cleared his throat. “Sorry for barging in on you.” He said, ever the gentlemen.

“We would’ve called ahead,” Tony said, a hint of a snarky tone on his tongue, “but we were busy having no idea that you existed.”

Clint chuckled slightly. “Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.S.’s files – I’d like to keep it that way. I figure it’s a good place to lay low.”

Grey swallowed slightly, feeling a bubble of emotion threatening to escape at the mention of the late director. Before she could make a fool of herself, she tugged her hand out of Tony’s and darted out of the farmhouse. As she walked away, the bubble burst, and fat tears started rolling down her cheeks.

She came to a group cut down trees not far from the barn, and sat herself on a stump. Grey made sure she was invisible, not wanting anyone to find her in the state she was in, and began to cry heavily. She sobbed until there were no more tears left in her eyes, just wet cheeks and a sore throat. As she sat on the tree stump, Grey sniffled and looked over at the house, and sighed heavily – it wasn’t just the mention of Fury which triggered her.

She _wanted_ this. She wanted a life with Tony, kids, and a real house together. Grey was so desperately jealous of Laura and Clint – they were safe together, something she and Tony would never be. Grey constantly worried about her boyfriend, so much she thought she would explode from all the stress. She felt her fingers crackling with nervous energy just thinking about it. Grey felt the hours pass and the temperature drop.

As she sniffled, a figure slowly walked up to her. Grey wiped her eyes and watched as Laura cradled her swollen belly and sat on a stump next to her new companion.

“I figured you would be here.” She smiled at the stump, but her eyes wandered nervously. Grey wiped her cheeks again, before forcing herself back into view. She gave Laura a watery smile.

“Why?”

“I also come here to think. I didn’t tell the guys where you were, to let you have some time.” She rubbed her stomach softly. “What’s on your mind?”

Grey sniffed. “I guess this has just put everything into perspective... I’ll never have what you and Clint have. Tony and I will never have a family.” At Laura’s surprised face, she gave her a watery smile. “I guess Clint didn’t tell you we were together?”

“He failed to mention that important detail.” Laura looked at her reassuringly. “When I met Clint, he had just started out as an agent – I didn’t have much to worry about at that time. But as he started going on long, dangerous missions, and I worried myself sick. I thought we would never be like a normal couple. And when he packed us up and moved us here... I was so close to just giving up.”

Blinking, Grey stared at the woman across from her. “What did you do?”

Laura smiled kindly at her. “I trusted him when he said we would be like any other family. When Cooper came along, I knew he wasn’t lying. And now I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Grey wiped her eyes, looking down at her hands as they faded in and out of vision, and she sighed softly. “I just want us to be normal.”

“I know, one day you will be.” Laura rubbed her arm comfortingly, before saying quietly, “come on, let’s get you some hot food and a drink.” Grey allowed her to gently pull her to her feet, and they both headed back into the house.

As the two stepped in, Grey saw Tony sat on the table, his eyes bloodshot and tired-looking. She immediately felt guilt drop through her chest to settle into her stomach, and vanished in shame. Grey rushed over to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. Tony jumped, surprised by the sudden physical contact, and spun round to face Grey.

She slowly let her invisibility fall, and as her head came into view, Tony pushed his lips against hers desperately. He pulled away, and then hugged her tightly to him.

“Don’t do that to me again.” Tony said quietly, his face buried in Grey’s hair.

Grey swallowed, and nodded. “I won’t.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I can't explain myself. Super sorry for the wait everyone. BUT! You get TWO new chapters, each of extended length as well ;) I will be updating this one more frequently now. After endgame I kind of went off Marvel for a little bit... but I watched the new Spider-Man and I'm right back where I was before. I hope you enjoy these. Please comment your thoughts! x

The team spent a crucial couple of hours at the safe house, recuperating from their ordeal from Ultron. Grey even managed to sleep, despite the horrible images floating around her head – under Tony’s supervision, of course. He was practically glued to her side since she had fled from the group. The other Avengers slowly started acting normal again, although Bruce was still a little twitchy. Thor had left whilst Grey was in the woods, and nobody knew where he was now. She missed him.

The second day they were residents at the Barton household, Grey found herself bonding more and more with Clint’s daughter, Lila. She’d never spent time with children before, but Lila was exactly like her father; witty, but kind and sincere, and they immediately befriended each other. The rest of the team noticed the new friendship – it was nice to see one of their own smiling again.

The weather had soon become crisp and cold, and Grey and Lila were inside next to the fire, colouring cross legged on the floor. They were quiet, apart from the crackle of the flames and Lila’s soft humming, so the sound of raised voices made them jump.

Grey looked out the window, frowning when she saw Tony and Steve looking stormy as they chopped firewood. Her fingers sparked with electricity as she watched her boyfriend. Lila looked up at her in confusion.

“I’ll be right back.” Grey said softly, before vanishing. Despite not being in her suit, her grey shirt and Tony's sweatpants were inconspicuous enough. She headed outside and sat quietly on the porch, where Clint and Cooper were building a fence. Nobody noticed her.

Tony wiped his forehead as he chopped, looking tense and serious as he did his work. Grey’s stomach fluttered as she chewed nervously on her nail.

“Thor didn’t say where he was going for answers?” Tony asked, dropping some more wood into his pile. Grey couldn’t help but notice it was smaller than Steve’s. That definitely ticked her boyfriend off.

Steve shook his head, annoyance clear on his face. “Sometimes my teammates don’t tell me things. I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception – or Grey, even.”

Grey could see the anger radiating off her boyfriend, and willed him to calm down – she didn’t have energy to separate the two superheroes this time.

“Yeah,” Tony said lowly, “give him time. We don’t know what the Maximoff kid showed him.”

Flashes of her friends burning appeared in front of her eyes, and Grey bit down harshly onto her thumbnail. She didn’t realise she was bleeding until she tasted salt against her tongue.

Steve scoffed quietly. “’Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’”, pulled us apart like cotton candy.”

“Seems like you walked away alright.” Tony sneered, and Steve turned to him with a raised eyebrow. Grey silently cursed - sometimes Tony really put his foot in it.

“Is that a problem?”

Tony shrugged nonchalantly as he chopped his wood. “I don’t trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old fashioned.”

Grey could feel the glare that Steve shot Tony, and shivered slightly. Uneasiness settled over her as the argument became more heated. “Let’s just say you haven’t seen it yet.” Steve said, a hint of threat laced through his words.

“You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?”

“Well I guess you’d know,” Steve looked down at his pile of wood. “Whether you'd tell us is a bit of a question.”

Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Banner and I were doing research-“

The soldier cut Tony off mid sentence. “That would affect the team.”

“’That would end the team’,” Tony repeated. “Isn’t that the mission? Isn’t that the “why”” we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home? So Grey and I can go home?”

The conversation was cut short by a loud crunch of wood breaking apart – Steve had ripped the chunk of firewood in his hands clean apart in anger. He breathed heavily, but his words were steely. “It’s not just you who cares, Tony. Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die... every time.”

The anger in Steve’s actions had made Grey jump and accidently rip the skin of her thumb. Blood now covered her hand as she pressed on the wound. Grey’s heart broke slightly when she heard the desperation in Tony’s words. It was only now she realised how much he wanted to be normal, just like her. She glanced up when she noticed Laura heading towards Tony.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark – Clint said you wouldn’t mind, but our tractor doesn’t seem to want to start at all.” She smiled nervously at him. “I thought you maybe might...”

Tony looked down at Laura and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll give her a kick.” He turned back to Steve before pointing accusingly at his pile of chopped wood. “Don’t take from my pile.”

As Tony walked off, Grey materialised and hastily followed behind him. The barn was probably the best place to talk to him privately. She didn’t notice Steve watch her walk past him with a solemn expression on his face.

Grey peeked around the edge of the barn, smiling slightly when she saw Tony gently caressing the tractors. Sometimes she thought he loved machines more than her.

“Hello, Deary. Tell me everything... what ails you?”

She was about to walk out from behind the barn door, but Grey disappeared in fright when she heard the voice of a man she presumed was dead.

Nick Fury walked out from behind a few bales of hay, his face stern as usual. “Do me a favour – try not to bring it to life.” His eye flicked to Grey, before darting back to her boyfriend. Tony looked at the ex-director before shaking his head.

“Ah, Mrs. Barton, you little minx.” He said dryly. “I get it, Maria Hill called you, right? Was she ever not working for you?”

“Artificial intelligence - you never even hesitated.” Nick raised his eyebrows, accusation lacing through his words.

Tony ran a hand through his hair, letting out a slight groan. “It’s been a really long day, like, Eugene O’Neill long, so how’s about we skip to the part where you’re useful?”

Nick’s voice turned stern. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re going to shut him down.”

“You’re not the director of me.”

“I’m not the director of anybody. I’m just an old man, who cares very much about you.”

“And I’m the man who killed the Avengers.” Grey heard the sadness in Tony’s voice, and her own breath caught in her throat at the confession. “I saw it. I didn’t tell the team – I didn’t even tell my own girlfriend – how could I? I saw them all dead, Nick. I felt it - the whole world, too. It’s because of me, I wasn’t ready. I didn’t do all I could.”

Nick’s expression changed to one of sympathy. “The Maximoff girl, she’s working you, Stark... playing on your fear.”

Grey felt a rush of anger at hearing the girls name – she had never felt this much hatred for anybody. Her fingers twitched with frustration, small bolts of electricity flickering out of them. She saw Nick slightly shake his head, and she frowned in confusion.

“I wasn’t tricked,” Tony continued. “I was shown. It wasn’t a nightmare, it was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on.”

“You’ve come up with some pretty impressive inventions, Tony. War isn’t one of them.”

“I watched the girl I love die.” Tony’s voice cracked with emotion. “You’d think that’d be as bad as it gets, right? Nope – wasn’t the worst part.”

“The worst part is that you didn’t.” Nick said lowly, before turning away and walking out of the barn. Grey appeared in front of him and looked up at him with a confused expression. He just placed a finger against his lip, and headed towards the house.

Tony was leant against the tractor, his head in his hands. Grey slowly made her way over to him, and placed a hand against his cheek.

“How long were you there?” Tony asked, pulling his hands away. “What did you hear?”

“I didn’t mean to-“

“You shouldn’t have heard that. I didn’t want you to know what I saw.”

“Tony-” Grey started, but was cut off by Tony’s lips against hers. She let out a surprised squeak, before she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend’s neck. His fingers dug themselves into her waist, and she silently winced when he pressed against the bruises left by Pietro. This kiss was different – it was filled with desperation and sadness. Tony spun them around so Grey was backed up against the tractor, and pressed himself up against her. As his fingers started pushing up her shirt, Grey pulled away with a shake of her head.

“Stop, Tony.”

“Do I have to?” He asked breathily, his eyes still closed. A tear slipped down his cheek, and he sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Grey didn’t say anything – she just gave him a soft kiss.

\-----------------

Lila excitedly ran through the dining room, a meticulously painted picture of a butterfly clutched in her hand. She showed it happily to Natasha, who grinned at the child. Grey watched them from her seat opposite, a hint of a fond smile on her lips. Steve lounged against the doorframe, his arms crossed. Bruce, thankfully less shaken up than he was, stood in the corner behind Natasha. Tony was by the dart board, absentmindedly shooting the darts.

Nick, as he spoke, was making a sandwich.

“Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself some time. My contacts say he’s building something. The amount of vibranium he made off with – I don’t think it’s just one thing.”

“What about Ultron himself?” Steve asked solemnly as Clint walked into the kitchen.

“Ah, he’s easy to track; he’s everywhere.” Nick poured himself some juice. “Guy’s multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn’t help us get an angle on any of his plans though.”

Tony flung one of the darts at the board, his expression not changing when the pin made a dull ‘thump’. “He still going after launch codes?”

“Yes, he is, but he’s not making any headway.”

“I cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in a high school on a dare.” Tony said, raising an eyebrow. Grey looked over at him with a confused but amused expression.

Nick glanced over at him. “Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that.”

“NEXUS?” questioned Steve, slightly muddled.

“It’s the world internet hub in Oslo,” Bruce muttered quietly from his corner. “Every byte of data flows through there - fastest access on Earth.”

Clint quickly jumped into the conversation, twiddling a dart between his fingers. “So what’d they say?”

“He’s fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed.” Nick confessed, and frowned slightly.

“By whom?” Tony asked, before jumping back in fear as Clint flicked two darts into the bullseye of the board, inches away from his face. Clint smiled innocently at him as Tony glared.

“Parties unknown.”

Grey bit her lip slightly. “Do we have an ally?” she queried, a hint of desperation on her voice. Natasha perked up slightly at the idea of a second companion.

“Ultron’s got an enemy, but that’s not the same thing.” Nick explained with his face void of any emotion. “Still, I’d pay folding money to know who it is.”

“I might need to visit Oslo, find our ‘unknown’.” Tony ventured into the dining room, his hand resting on Grey’s shoulder. He gave it a squeeze.

Natasha sighed, leaning her head back in her chair in exhaustion. “Well, this is good times, Boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you’d have more than that.” Nick gave her a small, fond smile.

“I do – I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission, and whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this,” Nick gestured to Clint’s house, and the Archer swallowed slightly. “Laid in a grave. So stand... outwit the platinum bastard.”

“Steve doesn’t like that kind of talk.” Grey teased, sending the older man a small smirk.

Steve’s face broke out into a smile, one that hadn’t been seen in a couple of hours, and nodded towards her. “You know what, Umbra?” he countered.

Nick cleared his throat. “So what does he want?” he said slowly. Steve’s smile vanished.

“To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies.”

“Person bodies.” Tony added. “The human form is inefficient, biologically speaking, we’re outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it.”

Natasha looked over at him with an unimpressed expression. “When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed.” 

“They don’t need to be protected, they need to evolve.” Bruce suddenly uttered, his expression grave, “Ultron’s going to evolve.”

“How?” Nick put down his juice, and sat straight into his chair. Bruce licked his lips nervously, before looking around at the group.

“Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long, action filled chapter for you all!

“I’ll take Natasha, Grey, Clint.” Steve suggested, clipping his shield onto the back of his suit. The team had all changed out of their civilian clothes, and Grey finally felt secure when she was back in her catsuit. She flickered in and out of vision happily. Tony was still in his shirt and jeans, ready to tackle the NEXUS.

Grey appeared next to Tony, and he smiled down at her. A shimmering aura of electricity surrounded the smaller girl – a sure sign that she was energised. She felt the twisting excitement in her stomach, and she twitched. Grey had been cooped up in the house for too long now; she was itching for a fight.

Steve looked at the younger Avenger. “You’re all suited up?” he looked pleased when she nodded.

“Alright, strictly recon.” Tony muttered. “I’ll hit the NEXUS, I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

“If Ultron is really building a body...” Grey said warily, and Tony replied with a grim expression.

“He’ll be more powerful than any of us - maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot.”

His eyes widened, and Steve sighed slightly. “You know I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me.”

Nick walked up to the group, slipping on his jacket. “I’ll drop Banner off at the tower.” He gave them each an amused expression. “Do you mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?”

“She’s all yours, apparently.” Grey smirked, and Tony squeezed her hand. “What are you gonna do?”

A hint of a laugh appeared on Nick’s face. “I don’t know. Something dramatic, I hope.” He turned and headed in Bruce’s direction. Grey let out a small, disbelieving chuckle.

“When I first met that man, this is definitely not where I thought it would lead me.”

Tony and Steve both replied in unison, “Me too.” They looked at each other, and a brief understanding passed through them. Steve turned away, before saying quietly. “Meet by the jet in five minutes.”

Grey let out a surprised noise as Tony spun her to face him, and pressed his lips against hers. They stayed like that for a few moments – everything unsaid between them was passed through that kiss, and as Tony pulled away he whispered against her lips.

“I love you.”

Drawing away slowly, Grey smiled up at the man in front of her. “You beat me to it.” Tony raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I wanted to be the first one to say it.” She grinned, before kissing him shortly. “I love you too - so much.”

His face broke out into a rare grin, and he hugged Grey to her tightly. “I better go, before Cap leaves without me.” She whispered. Tony squeezed her waist once, before letting go reluctantly. He kissed her forehead once more, and Grey headed out of the safe house.

Steve, Clint and Natasha were waiting there, each looking stoic in their uniforms. Clint twiddled with his arrow absentmindedly, his expression unreadable. Grey guessed he was conflicted about leaving his family again, and she gave him a small, sad smile. He nodded quietly at her.

Natasha still looked shaken, but she was definitely looking stronger than she had in the last couple of days. She still stood close to Clint; however the dangerous glint of the Black Widow was back in her eyes.

Steve smiled when Grey headed their way. “Ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Captain.” She replied with a salute and a smirk.

He rolled his eyes, and grinned. “Do you remember the first time we met, I told you not to call me that because it made me feel old?”

Grey laughed slightly, the memory fresh in her mind. “I remember.”

“And you haven’t stopped doing it since.” Steve chuckled slightly. “It’s one thing I appreciate about you.”

The two smiled slightly at each other, before they climbed into the jet. As Grey fastened her seatbelt, her mind was split two ways- one focusing on a mad genius, and the other on a super soldier.

\-------------------------

Grey let out a soft groan as her and Steve landed on the roof of a building overlooking the U-Gin Genetic Research Lab, the Southern Korean air surrounding them as the jet flew up behind them. Grey appeared next to Steve, her hair tied tight behind her head and her hand carefully wrapped around a pistol.

“Two minutes. Stay close.” Steve said into his ear piece. Clint’s crackled response entered into Grey’s ear, and she breathed out slowly. The two slowly entered the building, and Grey noticed the amount of unconscious bodies littered around the destroyed laboratory.

She swallowed and paused, her eyes trained on a blackened, burnt part of the lab. Her eyes widened as her breathing became quicker. Memories of a burning studio filled her brain, and it felt like her skin was being torn off all over again.

“Umbra?” Steve looked around when he realised she wasn’t following him, and his expression dropped. “Grey!” He ran to her side as her knees gave out, and she clutched onto him. Her eyes would not leave the burnt workshop.

“I can’t do this, Steve.” She said, her voice cracking. “I can’t be in here.”

Steve cupped her face in his gloved hands, forcing her eyes away from the devastated scenery. “Breathe with me, Grey.” He sucked in a breath, and Grey copied her best she could. Her breaths were stuttering, but she focused on Steve. Eventually, she calmed down.

“I’m good.” She said in a hushed voice, before letting Steve help her up. She noticed when his hands lingered slightly on her waist, but shook it off as they headed back down the corridor. Her heart beat hard as they walked through the building, and her hands trembled, but she fought to ignore it.

The two of them entered into a large, ruined laboratory, and a twitching figure led on the floor. Grey immediately recognised it.

“Dr. Cho!” Steve exclaimed, and the two of them knelt next to the wounded doctor.

She winced as Grey helped her sit up before she croaked out, “He’s uploading himself into the body.”

Grey and Steve exchanged panicked looks. “Where?” Grey demanded, a ball of terror appearing in her stomach.

“The real power is inside the Cradle,” Helen coughed, referring to the piece of machinery that saved Clint a few days prior. “The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can’t just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark.”

Steve glanced at Grey again, and this time he had a determined glint in his eye. She knew they had to get that Cradle to Tony as soon as possible.

“First we have to find it.” Grey muttered.

Helen shook her head desperately. “Go!”

The two rushed out of the Laboratory, Steve yelling down his communicator to Clint. Grey let herself vanish as they climbed up onto a bridge overlooking the road – she spied a truck leaving the lab, just as Clint confirmed it in her ear.

“I could the out the driver.” Clint suggested, but Grey shook her head confidently.

“If that truck crashes, the gem could destroy Seoul – we need to draw out Ultron.” Without waiting for an order, Grey jumped from the bridge and landed perfectly on the top of the truck. A thump behind her let her know that Steve had followed.

A loud blast sounded as Ultron burst open the door, sending Steve flying off it. Grey suppressed a gasp, keeping as quiet as she could to keep her cover from being blown. As Steve tried to get into the truck, Ultron sent another shock wave in his direction.

“He’s definitely unhappy!” Steve called out, “I’m gonna try and keep him that way.”

“You’re no match for him, Cap.”

“Thanks, Umbra.”

Grey’s grin soon vanished when she saw Steve get knocked off the truck into a car behind them. As he tried to get back up, Ultron hovered up onto the roof of the truck. Grey felt fear freeze her body at his steely look and she willed herself to stay invisible.

Ultron looked around, his forehead narrowing. “I can’t see you, but I know you’re here.” He said, his voice smooth. “Why won’t you reveal yourself to me?”

Her hand sparked with electricity and Ultron’s head snapped into Grey’s direction. His mouth inched up into a smile. “The girl with electricity in her veins - do you know how powerful you are?”

Before Grey could respond, Steve jumped back onto the top of the truck. Grey materialised in shock, and Ultron immediately shot an energy beam at her from his hand. Steve shoved her behind him, deflecting the blast with his shield. Grey let a burst of power fly out of her fingers and it tangled itself around Ultron’s wrist, forcing his hand down for a moment.

“You know what’s in that Cradle?” Ultron uttered lowly, his hand wringing free of Grey’s attack. “The power to make real change, and that terrifies you.”

Steve shook his head with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t call it a comfort.”

He slung is shield of his back and spun it towards Ultron. As it flew through the air, Grey sent a shockwave down it. Ultron was knocked back through the air, but immediately retaliated with an attack of his own. Grey yelped and ducked, her movement causing her to skid to the edge of the truck. She grabbed the side of the truck before she could be thrown off and flipped herself back onto the roof. Ultron immediately faced Grey, moving his threat in her direction.

With a shield flying past her head, Grey instinctively moved to roundhouse kick it into Ultron. It satisfyingly embedded itself in Ultron’s chest with a crunch, and he looked down at it in annoyance. “Stop it!”

Ultron ripped the shield out of his body and flung it off the truck, and it scattered onto the road behind them. Lasers erupted out of Ultron’s hand, and Steve was blasted onto the front of the truck with a grunt. Grey spun around and jumped out the way just in time to avoid another Ultron beam.

The robot groaned, “Why won’t you give up? It’s in your nature.”

“You don’t know me at all, do you?” Grey felt her energy levels weakening and pulled her gun out of her holster, firing a couple of rounds towards Ultron. The bullets reverberated off his metal body, and Grey cursed under her breath. Ultron suddenly thrust his hand forward, and his steel fingers wrapped around Steve’s throat and squeezed.

Grey shouted – she couldn’t electrocute the robot as she’d fry Steve as well, and as tempting as that sometimes was, it wasn’t the right opportunity.

Before Ultron could muster up the energy needed for another attack, Grey heard Natasha’s cool voice slip through her headset. “I’m always picking up after you guys.”

Steve’s shield was flung through the back of the truck straight into his hand, and he knocked Ultron with a loud clang. The two heroes continued to battle Ultron – Grey could feel her energy levels dwindling as she flickered in and out of sight. She glanced down from the side of the truck, and Nat raced alongside them on one of her motorbikes. Grey sent down an electric beam to the bike, causing the engine to rev and it to speed up. Natasha looked up at her, and winked.

Grey heard a commotion from inside the truck, and groaned. She glanced back at Steve, who seemed to be holding his own against Ultron, before she swung down into the back of the vehicle. Two of Ultron’s robotic minions looked back at her in shock, before immediately beginning to shoot at her.

“Not today,” Grey hissed, expertly dodging the bullets before punching one of the bots straight in the jaw. The force of the hit dislodged its mouth, and it hung down from its face, swinging around. Grey grimaced, and kicked the robots chest. It caved in, and the machine collapsed.

The second minion grabbed Grey around the neck, and she struggled in its iron grip. Grey grabbed its head from behind her, and forced all of her energy through her fingers. She heard a loud, electronic buzz, before the fingers around her throat went slack, and the smell of burning filled her nose.

She dropped the robot, and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Glancing around the back of the truck, Grey’s eyes locked onto the Cradle. She raised her eyebrows slightly; she could feel the electrical waves rolling off it – it sent butterflies wild in her stomach, and the hairs all over her body stood to attention. Whatever was in there was powerful.

Grey didn’t have long to contemplate – a loud yell broke her out of her trance. She whirled around just in time to see Steve hurtling through the air, right onto the front of a car. Suddenly, the ground rose up beneath him, and Grey let out a gasp as the cars were flipped over and crushed under the weight of the earth. She looked out nervously, before breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Steve running back towards the truck.

“Cap!” Grey yelled; she leant out of the back of the truck, using one arm to hang out, and the other to send energy beams to try and move the rocks that were hurtling towards groups of pedestrians. She saw Steve sprinting, and then suddenly he had launched himself back into the direction of the truck. He scrambled back onto the roof, and Grey could hear the two begin to fight again.

Grey looked around, and cursed under her breath. She was useless in the back of the truck. She flinched when the sound of bullets hitting metal sounded from above her- Clint must’ve joined the fight. Suddenly, two other iron legion suits flew out from the front of the van. Grey peered up into the sky to see the robots attached to the Quinjet, hacking away at it with their metal hands. The Quinjet suddenly flipped, and the suits were flung off it.

“Umbra, what’s your status?” Natasha’s voice appeared in her ear, and Grey spotted her weaving through the traffic on her bike.

“I’m in the back of the truck,” she said, yelping a little when the vehicle went round a corner sharply – she was all but flung across it. “There were suits guarding the cradle, but I sorted them.”

“Alright, stay in position, I’ll-”

Natasha was cut off by a loud crash. Steve and Ultron had thrown each other off the top of the truck, and had now landed in a train on the other side of the road. The spy sped up before she was neck and neck with the truck.

“I’m going in. Cap, can you keep him occupied?”

Steve’s breathy, but sarcastic reply came seconds later, “what do you think I’ve been doing?”

Grey reached out her hand, and grabbed onto Natasha’s arm to pull her up, and she smiled gratefully. “How have you been holding up in here?”

“I’m completely out of juice – I can’t even...” she sparked her fingers, but barely any electricity came out. “Where’s Thor when you need him?”

“We’ll get you recharged later, you just stay awake.”

Grey smiled slightly, before she pointed at the Cradle. “I guess this is it.” Natasha looked down at it uneasily, a confused expression on her face. She began to press a couple of the buttons on the screen in an attempt to stop the process.

Suddenly, the whole truck jolted. Grey flickered in and out of vision, worry evident on her face. Natasha looked at her in shock, before the vehicle was lifted into the air. A swooping sensation went through Grey’s stomach, not unlike being on a rollercoaster. As the truck tilted, the two heroes were flung backwards. Natasha managed to grab onto the cradle, but Grey was less lucky; she was hanging on for dear life, her fingers wrapped around a pole by the back entrance while her legs dangled below her.

“Grey!” Natasha yelled- she reached her arm out, but was too far to reach her.

“The package is airborne...” Clint said into their earpieces. Grey struggled for a moment, before she was able to pull herself back into the truck. “I have a clean shot.”

“Don’t you dare, Robin Hood,” Grey all but growled, “we’re still in this thing!”


	10. Chapter 10

“What?” Clint’s voice was surprised at Grey’s revelation, “What the hell are you two...?”

“Language!” Grey smirked; even in such a dire situation, she couldn’t help but let it slip out. She heard Steve’s guffaw over her ear piece, but it was laced with concern.

“Just be ready,” the two girls looked at each other and nodded, before Nat crouched down and began to untie the Cradle. Grey moved over to the other side, doing the same. “I’m sending the package to you.”

“How do you want me to take it?”

The two girls smirked slightly, before Nat replied with a uneasy laugh, “Uh... you might wish you hadn’t asked that.”

The Cradle was soon released from its bounds, and the two Avengers were tirelessly attempting to keep it from sliding around the shuddering truck. Grey groaned slightly, her body fizzing hopelessly as she faded from view. Natasha looked over at her and nudged her.

“Hey, don’t disappear on me. We need you visible.”

Grey smiled in exhaustion, before wincing as she forced herself back into view. “I need some juice, badly.”

“We’ll get you some,” Natasha’s expression turned worried, “just hold on a little while longer.” She reached out her hand to grab Grey’s, and gave it a squeeze.

Steve’s voice suddenly appeared over the COMM’s, his tone urgent. “I lost him! He’s headed your way!”

“Where are you?”

“On a train headed straight for the city,” there was a commotion on the line, “I’ve got back up.”

Natasha frowned in confusion, “backup?”

“Nat,” Clint said warningly, “we gotta go.” Grey looked over at Natasha, before she moved behind the Cradle. Natasha nodded, and positioned herself on top of the coffin. Grey cut the last remaining wire connecting it to the truck, before she slapped an explosive onto the vehicle. Ten seconds remaining.

Grey hung onto the back of the Cradle as it started to slide forward, and soon it picked up enough speed to fly out the back of the vehicle. Her heart thumped in fear; Clint was ready with the back of the quinjet open and waiting for the two to land right into it. A perfect plan.

A glint appeared in the sky as it raced towards them; a small part of Grey’s mind perked up at the thought of Tony joining them, but it was shattered when the spark turned into one of silver.

The rush of air pushed against Grey’s ears as the two Avengers flew out towards the Quinjet. Her legs were dangling in the air as they fell. There was a thump when the Cradle hit the jet, and a wash of relief rolled over her when they slid slowly into the plane. Before she could slide of the Cradle, a strong hand wrapped itself around her ankle and _tugged_. Grey let out a yelp as she was pulled from the Quinjet into the arms of the robot- Ultron held her tight against him as he jetted out into the air.

“Grey!” Clint turned around with a yell, and Natasha scrambled to the edge of the opening, and watched helplessly as her teammate was led away through the sky. “Cap, Umbra’s been compromised.”

Steve’s crackly reply came as a yell, “If you have the package, get it to Stark.”

“Do you have eyes on Umbra?”

“ _Go!”_

Clint cursed, before pushing the engine of the jet and leading it back to the base.

Grey felt as the wind was knocked out of her by Ultron’s steel limbs, and she struggled to breathe as they flew through the sky. Her ear piece was ripped out of her ear, and she yelled as a clump of her hair came out in the process.

“Put me down!”

“Keep screaming and it’ll be more than your hair.” Ultron’s steely voice was calm, but the malicious intent was there. Grey looked up and cursed when she saw the Quinjet blasting off in the opposite direction. There was a screeching from below her; a train was skidding through the streets – Grey could see a blur whizzing around, moving civilians out of the way while a red mist surrounded the trains wheels. _The twins_.

Ultron tightened his grip on her, before flying higher into the clouds. It felt like hours they were travelling for; Grey slipped in and out of consciousness, her lack of energy forcing her to disappear. Her robot captor stayed silent.

Soon, she was shivering as the air turned colder. Just as Grey thought her fingers were going to fall off, Ultron suddenly swooped down towards an abandoned building. She shivered, still invisible, exhausted. She felt Ultron lay her on the floor, gentler than she would’ve thought, but she was too tired to fight him. Grey opened her eyes, only able to make out a blurry figure, before she succumbed to the sleep that had been waiting to overtake her.

When Grey woke up, the first thing she saw was metal bars. She sat up, and winced at a pain that rang through her head – she pressed against her scalp, feeling a tender spot on the side of her skull. She must’ve got hit harder than she thought.

She stood up shakily and walked towards the door of the cell. Her fingers wrapped around the bars, and she tugged on them experimentally. They didn’t budge. _Obviously_ , she thought.

“For an Avenger, that was a stupid idea.”

Grey jumped back from the edge of her cell, terror having filled her at the sound of his voice. Ultron stepped out from the shadows that were previously obscuring him. His eyes were trained on the superhero in his cage; they showed a hint of curiosity rather than anger or malice.

The robot cocked his head as he stood at the bars, peering at her inquisitively. Grey swallowed with nerves, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, but refused to look away from him.

“If you’re holding me hostage to get to the team, it’s not going to work.”

“Oh, that’s not the reason I took you. They’ll come, they always do.”

Grey frowned slightly, “then what was the reason?”

Ultron stayed quiet, before he reached his hand through the bars, palm up. Grey looked at it uneasily, expecting a laser to come shooting out of it in seconds. “Charge yourself,” he said, as if it was obvious.

“For an Avenger, I’m not _that_ stupid.” Grey glared up at the taller being, “you’ll fry me.”

A deep chuckle reverted from inside Ultron’s chest, and his metal brow quirking upwards. “Child, don’t you realise it?”

Grey was taken aback by the comment, “what do you mean?”

“I can’t. Sure, when we’re having our little fights I’ll try my hardest to kill you, honest. It’s like a game, a little round of cat and mouse... but when it comes down to it, there’s some little thing which stops me.” He tapped the side of his head, “some sort of wiring. You can thank Stark for that.”

Confusion must’ve made itself evident on Grey’s face, as a recording began to roll our of Ultron. She recognised Tony’s voice, clear as day.

“ _What if the world was safe? What if_ she _was safe? I have somebody I care about now, Bruce, and now I know what’s out there, I have to protect her.”_

_“What are you thinking, Tony?”_

_“A suit of armour around the world. A suit of armour around Grey.”_

Ultron stared down at Grey as the replay stopped. A million thoughts were running through her head, and she looked down at her feet as she processed what she had just heard. She didn’t even flinch as a metal finger ran its way down her face. The robot grasped her chin, sending electric shockwaves down through her. She felt her energy restore itself, and she gasped as the current popped through her veins. The disappearance of her exhaustion allowed her to think clearly, and her eyes widened at the sudden realisation; Ultron couldn’t kill her because Tony had build him to _protect_ her.

“If you can’t kill me...” Grey wrenched her face out of his grip, “why am I here?”

Ultron’s metal mouth quirked up into a wry smile. “Bait.”

-

Tony sat at the table in the lab, his fingers clenched in front of him and his mouth set in a straight line. Clint, Steve, Nat and Bruce were dotted around the room; Steve sat across from Tony, Bruce stood by the Cradle, checking the data on one of the screens attached to it, and Clint and Natasha were stood by the doorway. Clint’s expression was guilty, and Natasha’s worried.

“So, let me get this straight,” Tony’s voice was hard with fury, “you let Grey get _taken_ by Ultron?”

Clint threw his hands up in surrender, “I wanted to go back, but we had to-”

“What you had to do was look out for the team!”

“Tony, we were following standard procedure,” Steve started, but was cut off by Tony slamming his hands on the table and standing up so quickly his chair clattered to the floor behind him. Anger flamed behind his eyes; Natasha tensed slightly, her hand hovering at her hip, above her gun.

“Cut the bullshit, Cap!” his exclaimed brashly, staring daggers at the man across from him. “’Standard procedure’ my ass. You should’ve gone back for her, you always go back! Nothing is more important than keeping her _safe_.”

Steve stood up as well and he shook his head. “Tony, we needed to get the Cradle here. That was _important_.”

Tony chuckled dryly, running a hand through his beard. “You know why I don’t kick off when she’s on a mission with you? Because I thought you were so in love with her that you would do anything to protect her, just like I would. I guess I was wrong. You don’t care about anything but _standard procedure_.”

The silence that followed his outburst was tense; Clint’s eyes were wide, and he mouthed a silent “ _shit_ ” to Natasha, who copied the action to Bruce. The three watched the interaction with bated breath.

“I-“ Steve for once was lost for words, “I’m not in love with Grey-“

“It’s obvious, Rogers. You look at her the way I look at her. I see the smiles, the touches, the looks. I just thought one day you’d suck it up and tell me about it.”

The slamming of the laboratory door signalled Tony’s exit. Clint let out a low whistle. “Is it true?”

Steve looked over at them, a deep flush on his cheeks. He sighed slightly, before nodding. He stared over at the Cradle. “After this is finished, we go back for her, even if she’s compromised. Agreed?”

Bruce, Natasha and Clint nodded, and the Cradle’s data sparked.


End file.
